Police Violence, Community Safety and Justice in Jamaica

For many Jamaicans, Caribbeans and other colonised people, encounters with the police are too often characterised by fear rather than trust. Caribbean Labour Solidarity (CLS) invites you to join this important public discussion on the urgent need to transform policing in Jamaica into a service that protects communities, respects human rights and is fully accountable to the people.

Paul G Ward, an Executive Committee member of CLS, long resident in Jamaica, will present the case that if Jamaica is to become a society where policing is based on consent rather than fear, meaningful reform must address both the lasting legacy carried over from kidnapping, slavery and the challenges of the present.

Steve Cushion, also an EC member of CLS and a historian of the Caribbean, will examine the colonial origins of policing. the “Slave Patrols” and its current manifestation.